


Pretty Girl

by bubblesrbubbles



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: ((laughs bc wataru is a dork and I love him)), Gen, Genderfluid Character, Post-Graduation, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-08 05:54:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13451910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblesrbubbles/pseuds/bubblesrbubbles
Summary: Hi welcome to a thing I wrote once upon a time for my very favorite character, Wataru Hibiki, in which said character treats himself to a world class dinner, dotes upon his children, and maybe performs some self care. Who knows?This beautiful being, thank the lord for this wonderful human(?).





	Pretty Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Hi welcome to a thing I wrote once upon a time for my very favorite character, Wataru Hibiki, in which said character treats himself to a world class dinner, dotes upon his children, and maybe performs some self care. Who knows?
> 
> This beautiful being, thank the lord for this wonderful human(?).

Wataru sighed as he pressed his cheek against the window. The rain was falling hard outside the train, and the cool glass was almost a cure-all for his pounding headache. He had to close his eyes once the light got too bright for him, and while he could feel his heartbeat throughout his entire body, he knew he couldn’t sleep yet. He still had to make it to his home, and then speak with Aristotle and Jeanne for a bit before cleaning. The train was going to be a while, though, so this gave him the time to tab through his mental to do list. He had to make dinner (microwaves were _Amazing,_ as were leftovers), clean Ari and Jean’s cages, get him food, get him a bath… Maybe take a bath himself? Ah, that would be nice. Maybe they would pamper themselves, do their hair, nails? They wanted to be pretty, that was all they knew. She took a bit of her hair and started making a braid, humming as she did. Long, adept fingers made quick work of the task, but she didn’t tie it off. Instead, it rested on her shoulder, starting to undo itself just from the vibrations of the train.

She had to open her eyes eventually, and when she did, she sat up straight, and slid her fingers through her hair. It was mostly up in a ponytail, but the day had been so hectic that the band had loosened, and let some of her long hair out. Once the train hit the station, the actress was out of there in a flash, heading down the street and towards the tall building that meant her home. She held her bag a little closer, and curled her braid around her finger as her shoes made a steady _tap tap tap_ down the sidewalk. God, she knew the sun wasn’t that bright, and she knew the surfaces around her weren’t that bright, but it made her eyes hurt. A quick dig around in her bag provided sunglasses, at least, so that was good. It was strange though, only because she was now in her apartment building, in the elevator and feeling the car take her up… With sunglasses. Lord, she knew how she must have looked, wearing them inside like this, but she was sure her eyes were going to spontaneously combust if she took them off. Her apartment was on one of the upper floors, where fewer people were. Some people were scared of the heights, but Wataru liked waking up in the morning and being able to see her entire world laid out before her. After all, the world was your oyster, and she was going to take advantage of that.

The second her key got in the door, she could hear some chirping and fluttering of wings. She opened the door, and a smile spread over her face as one of her birds immediately perched on her shoulder. “Well hello!” Wataru greeted him, giggling and grabbing the bird. Ah, Ari… She held him close to her chest, and closed the door before giving Ari a kiss on the head. “How are you, my sweet? Mama’s missed you.” Ari only chirped a response, and Wataru soon put him down on the kitchen counter. Aristotle chirped once more, and Wataru started fishing around in the refrigerator for the leftovers that would become dinner. “Ari, dear, did you and Joan have a good day?” Wataru listened to Ari chirp and sing as she worked and heated up food. Leftovers were Wataru’s star dish, something that no one in the world would resist! Much like her mother’s apple tarts. After Aristotle had fallen silent, Wataru turned her head, and looked at him for a few seconds. Her bird was now perched on the coat rack in the kitchen, his talons gripping her apron. 

“Oh! I nearly forgot about that,” She laughed, coming over after setting things on the counter. She took a pause, taking the band out of her hair and letting it hang down. After getting all of her hair together (which in and of itself took a little bit of time and effort), she managed to get it all though one loop… But lord. Her arms were _already_ hurting, but everyone knew one loop of a hairband wouldn’t hold anything. “Ariiii…” She whined, pulling her hair though another loop. “Why do I have so much haaaair…”  
The bird tipped its head to the side, cooing at Wataru in confusion, as if asking, _Why NOT have that much hair?!_ Wataru would like to think that Ari found her hair nice, since sometimes they would wake up together after crashing on the couch. Wataru would stir and find their beloved pet bird, all swaddled up nice and cozy in a Wataru brand Hair Blanket. Whenever they spoke about this happening, no one seemed to believe them… So it was truly an Aristotle Phenomenon.

Now, hair all tied back in four (thank GOD for strong hair ties) loops, the magician puffed out his chest, and he put on his apron. “Alright Ari! Now, it’s cooking time!” He announced in the proper announcer voice, holding his spatula up in the air like some sort of sword. “And it’s time to make my specialty! Leftover Delight!” He laughed when his bird puffed up, mimicking his owner with a wing extended to the sky, and soon turned back to the food on the counter. “Now, Ari,” He whispered, hearing the bird come over onto the counter nearby. “This is the most delicate part of the process, you know? We have to pick the proper plate to put this on.” He reached up in one of his cupboards, humming and tabbing through plates as one would papers. After one whole minute of careful decision making (Man, this was hard), he chose his favorite plate, putting it down and soon grabbing the take out box next to his work station. Today’s leftovers were…. Orange chicken and fried shrimp. It was good enough for his purposes, and ordering a large helping at once meant that he didn’t have to worry about dinner for at least a few days. He started to very gently and gingerly scoop pieces out of the box, and leaned in close to the plate to make sure that every piece landed right where he wanted it to. Eventually, he had emptied the box out onto the plate, and he kept it bottom up for a little while to get all the sauce out of it. Nothing would go to waste, after all! He soon placed the shrimp around the little orange chicken shrine, and went to stand straight when he hit the back of his head on the kitchen cabinet.

“Waaaaah?!” He jerked forwards, his braid… Getting into the sauce. Sigh. “... This is why it’s _my_ specialty, Ari.” He nodded once. “It’s not a Wataru dish if I don’t someway, _somehow_ get it in my hair… Ugh. Ari, _this_ is why girls can’t have nice things.” He closed the cabinet door and went over to the sink… Only to have Ari jump in instead. Lavender eyes tried not to glare into their pet bird, mainly because of how he immediately put his head up to the faucet. “Sweetie… Honey… Baby… You gotta understand, mama needs the sink first.”

The bird ruffled its feathers, and chirped defiantly at Wataru. “Sweetie, Ari, sugar… Please, please, please let me wash this out first, and then-” Ari squawked at Wataru and the actress was a little surprised to say the least. “... This is why girls can’t have nice things, both that _and_ this. I expect an apology from you mister, or you just won’t get a bath at all tonight.”

The bird tilted its head to the side, staring up at its parent for a bit. But baths were _always_ in the sink, he didn’t understand what he could of been doing wrong! Wataru crossed her arms, and looked away from the bird, instead glaring at the dinner that was sitting in front of the microwave. They stayed there, just like that, for what seemed like forever before the bird jumped up on the counter, and headbutted Wataru’s arm like some sort of cat would.

That made Wataru melt, and she picked up Ari and kissed his head before turning on the sink, letting her braid hang down. “You’re a sweetheart when you let me do what I need to,” She praised, gently petting his head. “I’ll make sure you get a nice, long, relaxing bath tonight, alright? I think I need one too, this day…” Augh… This day. Wataru worked on her braid for a little bit before standing upright, this time not smacking her head against anything, and grabbing a towel to wrap the braid up in. “Alright, Ari sweetie, as I was saying… The final preparations have to be made!” Ari cooed and ruffled his feathers, and hopped over near Wataru’s work station.

The cook was back in action, and he cracked his knuckles before picking up the plate. “Now Ari,” He whispered, “I know what you’re thinking, _‘Dad, I’ve seen you do this a thousand times, but I still don’t understand how you do it,’”_ Wataru mimicked a little kid. “Well, son, you need to start taking notes. This is my legacy! I won’t be able to write down how I do it though, but I expect you to be able to take these techniques and pass them forwards to your kids…! My grandchildren!” He slowly opened the microwave door, eyes narrowing as he positioned the plate of food inside. “See, Ari, you always put it in there just like this,” He tapped the plate. “Right in this position. The food faces north! Remember that!” A confused noise from Ari had him laughing. “You’re right, you’re right, that’s not actually a part of the Hibiki Technique. You’ve been doing your homework! Good work, son.”

The door was soon closed, just as gently as it was opened, and Wataru’s fingers grazed over the number buttons on the front. “... Mmm… Ari, m’boy, now this is one of the harder parts… This one requires a master’s knowledge, which of course, since you’re my boy, you will obtain… The time.” Mmm… Masterful eyes narrowed, and he quickly punched in a few numbers, and then the start button to finish the sequence. The machine hummed as it started to perform its duties, and Wataru slowly stood upright, putting his hands on his hips and smirking. Aristotle hopped closer to the control panel, and he pecked at some of the keys, confused when they didn’t seem to work.

“Ah, the only key that will work when the microwave is on is this one,” He tapped the start button, smiling. “That adds a minute time to the food, but we don’t want to do that. We want to do it right the first time, you know?” Wait… Wataru backtracked for a minute. “... Oh, and this one,” He pointed to the stop button. “This stops the microwave, but! Opening the door makes it stop as well.” Wataru put his elbows on the counter, and stooped down so he could stare right into the microwave. “Mmm… Ari… I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

The bird snuggled up right under Wataru’s chin, cooing in response. Wataru couldn’t help a laugh. “I was wondering… And son, don’t be scared to be honest with me, but…” Ah, how to approach a subject like this? “You’re… You’re growing up so fast, and… Well. By now, you’re probably heard or seen things about this all over the place, but…” _Alright Wataru, steel yourself. He has to learn sooner or later, and you would rather have him learn from you than anyone else._ “... Have you… Well. Have you learned anything about… You know…” _Do it!_

“... Chicken?”

Ari ruffled his feathers, and stared up at Wataru. The two locked eyes for a good while, unblinking and unphased even with the microwave going off. Eventually, though, the bird cooed, and fluffed his feathers up. Wataru looked away from his son, and he took the plate out of the microwave and brought it into the living room, beckoning his son to follow him. “I only ask because I love you,” Wataru explained, curling up on the couch and pulling a blanket over himself. Ari flew over and snuggled up between Wataru and the blanket, getting comfortable. “I want to make sure I don’t make you uncomfortable eating… Well, other birds. Of course, I’d never eat you, my sweet, but I want to make sure you understand.” He looked up when his other bird, Joan, seemed to snuggle up next to Ari, and he laughed a little.

Ari seemed to nod at his question, and headbutted into Wataru’s stomach, making him laugh. “Good. Now! I shall feast on this poultry without a hint of guilt!” He turned on the TV, starting to flick through channels. Boring, boring, boring… Oh, what, was that?! Wataru’s eyes sparkled, and he giggled. “Hey, Ari, look!” He snickered and grabbed his phone, selecting a channel. He leaned back into the couch a little bit, mainly so he would get a nice shot of his birds, food, and… “Godzilla~!” Wataru giggled madly, sending that picture off to a few people in particular so they would have a status update on him. 

(un)Fortunately, there was only one showing, and Wataru had happened to sit down and get comfortable right as it had started, so the two of them enjoyed a nice dinner together. Of course Ari and Joan got to eat too, since that just wouldn’t be fair otherwise! He kept a bag of birdseed down in between the couch cushion and the arm of the couch, so he fished that out and opened it for the pair to feast from.

Eventually, all parties were stuffed full, and Wataru let out a yawn. Aristotle, however, would have none of this, instead fluffing his feathers and removing himself from the warmth that was both the blanket and Wataru himself. The actor stood, taking a moment to stretch his body out completely before taking the plate and (now empty) bag into the kitchen. Ari reserved the sink immediately, making Wataru sigh, but he couldn’t really say that he was surprised. “Ari, sweetie…” Ah, why bother. He would just soak the plate overnight then, because a bath for himself sounded better than anything else right now. He forced Ari to scoot out from under the faucet before he turned on the water, putting a finger under the stream to make sure that it wasn’t too cold or too hot for his sweetheart. The bird was anxious to get in, and eventually Wataru found a stable temperature and took his hands out of the sink, letting the bird bathe in the water.

Wataru went ahead and went to their own bath, cranking the water on hot and plugging the tub. They then headed out and into their bedroom, pausing in the doorway to take a deep breath before walking over to the dresser. They saw themselves in the mirror and smiled, reaching out to gently touch a mask that hung on the mirror. Mmm… Ahh. They shook their head, and smiled once more before fishing out some pajama pants and a nice, oversized shirt. It worked well enough for their needs. Once they were satisfied with that, they crossed the bridge between their own room and the rest of the house, placed the clothes gently on the bathroom counter, and went out to the kitchen to rejoin their son. He was happily preening his feathers and making himself clean and pretty under the current, and that made a smile spread on Wataru’s face. Aristotle was such a good, pretty, and smart bird, and Wataru was lucky to have him.

They grabbed a towel out of one of the drawers, and they opened it up and held onto it for a bit, coming over and leaning on the counter. “Are you enjoying your bath, sweetie?” The bird chirped and shook its feathers, just generally being a happy bird. Joan didn’t love baths like Ari did, instead preferring to get in actual baths with Wataru or just forego a bath all together. That was no problem, of course, but Wataru couldn’t use any soaps when Joan wanted to join him. Wataru watched Ari for a few minutes, and then held out the towel, which was now warm from holding it. “Alright Ari, come on, let’s dry off. The towel is nice and warm!”

One glance at the towel was all that was needed for Aristotle to hop out and into Wataru’s hands, where they swaddled Ari up and set him down on the counter. The bird seemed satisfied with this, and Wataru went ahead and cleaned the sink and his dishes before picking up the bird again. “Ari, do you want to sleep now? Or later?” They unwrapped him, and made sure he was all dry. “I’m going to take a bath myself, so are you planning on waiting for me? If you want to get the pillow warm for me, you can.”

Aristotle looked up at the ceiling, as if thinking for a little bit. He soon chirped, and fluffed his feathers before taking flight, going into Wataru’s room and sitting on their pillow. Wataru sighed, and shut off all the lights in the kitchen before slowly walking into the living room. The TV was still on, and the blanket was all unfolded and laid across the couch and floor. Wataru sighed, and reached back to take his hair out of the ponytail band (which he now cursed, since because it was so tight, it was even more of a struggle to take out) before turning off the TV and folding the blanket back up. Joan woke from her little catnap on the couch and flew up onto Wataru’s shoulder, making them smile. Now, with lights off, warm sunset light poured over the city, and created a glow in his entire living room. The large windows which overlooked the city below provided a great view, and thankfully let in a lot of natural light.

Wataru walked over slowly, setting the blanket on the back of the couch and soon coming nearly face to face with his very faint reflection in the glass. A hand came up to graze over the window, barely making contact as he observed everything below. The cars hadn’t slowed down yet, and the city was painted in a rich orange color. Everything looked muted, aside from little breaks in the image thanks to neon signs starting to light up. Soon, the city would be dark, but dotted with stars. Again, beautiful. 

But Wataru Hibiki didn’t quite feel like looking over the city in that form. They would head to bed with the image of the sun setting over the city, and be content with that. After a few more minutes of vacant staring, they headed into the bathroom, where (thankfully) the water was the perfect amount needed for a nice, long bath. They turned and looked in the mirror for a little while before slowly taking off their shirt, throwing it in the hamper. Joan flew and perched herself on the bathroom counter, watching her owner close. Wataru reached into some of the drawers, and pulled out an arsenal of hair items. They reached back and started to work on the long, beautiful hair that they had fostered for so long, working even though the soreness that started to develop in their arms until they had achieved it. Their hair was now in a large bun, and while it certainly wasn’t the neatest nor prettiest bun in the world, it achieved one thing: Getting that damn hair out of the way. Wataru stared at themselves in the mirror, turning a little red as they adjusted some things on it. Overall… They looked pretty good. Pretty, even with a messy bun.

The pants were the next to go, and then the boxers. They threw the clothing aside, and only then did they dare to stick a toe into the water. It was hot, as to be expected, but a little too much so. Wataru puffed out their cheeks, and thought to themselves for a moment. _What to do, what to do…?_ After a bit of thinking, they crouched down and dug through another drawer. “Ah, I wonder…” They mumbled aloud, eventually making an ‘Aha!’ noise when they found a small, clear box. It had a few bottles of nail polish, and a little pouch with various nail care items. If they were going to treat themselves to a nice bath, they should at the very least allowed themselves to mimic a spa setting.

Joan watched as Wataru got out the little pouch, and they set the box on the bathroom counter before going over to the bath again. She put a foot in, hissing once more, but fuck it. They were a strong, independent woman, and no _bath water_ was going to stop her. Once she was all comfortable in the bath, she rested her head back against the wall, closing her eyes. Now that she was alone (besides Joan, but the bird was much better company then any humans at the moment) and quiet, she could feel her pulse throughout her whole body, and the exhaustion she had felt before on the train was slowly creeping back to haunt her. Tonight would certainly need to be a night of good sleep, Wataru noted, letting out a sigh. 

The previous two nights had been filled with initial script readings she performed out for Ari and Joan, even if the birds fell asleep halfway through, as well as cleaning and making lists of things that needed to be done. Schedules were another thing, and before she knew it, the sun had been rising before Wataru was sleeping. This sensation, being aware of her pulse, was a sure sign she hadn’t slept enough. If that wasn’t enough, the way they felt like they were trembling this morning when they woke was also a sign.

“Why is loving myself so haaaaard,” They whined to no one in particular, keeping her eyes shut. Joan made a little noise, trying to answer Wataru. The beauty in the water sighed, trying to reason with the bird. “Or rather, why can’t there be three of me, so I can get thrice the work accomplished…?” Yes, that was better. Loving themselves required time they didn’t feel they really had. Besides, they could always make it up to themselves later, yeah? Yeah. “Mmm… I wonder if Mother would let me come over after this performance…” It was set a while out, but… She hoped to not kill herself as much over this play as she had others. Still, backup plans were probably a good thing. “I think Ari and you would like to see her too, hmm…” Or maybe she could talk to her mother about sneaking in the pair again? Aristotle and Jeanne d’Arc had loved watching Wataru practice, and once her mother had actually brought the birds in, stuffed into her jacket. Apparently, Ari and Joan had kept their eyes on Wataru the entire time, and Wataru’s mother had to restrain the birds from just straight up flying onto stage once the performance was over.

That thought made her smile, and let out another wistful sigh. The gentle, consistent thump, thump, thump of her pulse was the only thing worth noting in the space she was in. The water was a perfect temperature, no longer burning hot, but instead simply soothing. This was nice. No people to deal with, no scripts to read anymore (since, like an expert, she had already memorized the portion she had given herself earlier in the day), and just a steady pulse gently going through her body… It was almost enough to lull a person to sleep. Which… It did. Exhaustion finally snatched Wataru up much like a dragon would a princess, and they were soon snoozing, completely at ease.

**Author's Note:**

> I love Wataru Hibiki so much? Thank you for my life? I hope you enjoyed as well. Wataru just seems like a genderfluid sort of character so if you didn't like the pronoun swapping, I'm sorry!


End file.
